Copycat KFC Coleslaw


Date Published: Sept 14th, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 14th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: sides, vegetarian, easy, salads
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Marinate time: 12 hours (overnight)

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I’ve never been a huge fan of KFC coleslaw, but my mom always loved it. Back home in Canada they used to do “Toonie Tuesdays” where you can get a KFC deal of 2 pieces of chicken with a small fries for $2 (our $2 coins are called Toonies, if you didn’t know) and you bet mom always ordered a side of coleslaw with it, so this one’s for you, mom!

This recipe is an adaptation from this copy cat KFC coleslaw recipe at TopSecretRecipes.com. I’ve changed the proportions a little and doubled up on the sauce to make it extra flavourful. Toby and I actually went out of our way to KFC to buy coleslaw and compare the two and hands down this one was the winner (I don’t know what they’re doing in Brooklyn KFC)!

Pair it with this super easy pulled pork recipe.:

Insanely Easy Instant Pot Pulled Pork


Get ready for the most ridiculously easy pulled pork recipe that’s ready in 75 minutes! You will need an Instant Pot or any pressure cooker for this along with your favourite BBQ sauce.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • Dressing:
    • 1/4 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 cup milk + 1 tsp lemon juice, let it sit for 10 mins until it thickens)
    • 1/4 cup milk
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (get the best quality you can)
    • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 2.5 Tbsps lemon juice
    • 1.5 Tbsps white vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
    • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 a small head (~4 cups) cabbage, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot (~1/2 cup), shredded
  • 1/4 small onion (~1.5 Tbsps), finely minced

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients: 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup sugar, 2.5 Tbsps lemon juice, 1.5 Tbsps white vinegar, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper.

Add the dressing to the chopped cabbage, carrot, and onion and mix well.

Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Don’t taste it until it has marinated overnight – the cabbage will release its juices and the flavours will come together better the next day. Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Copycat KFC Coleslaw

Date Published: Sept 14th, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 14th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: sides, vegetarian, easy, salads
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Marinate time: 12 hours (overnight)

Ingredients:

  • Dressing:
    • 1/4 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 cup milk + 1 tsp lemon juice, let it sit for 10 mins until it thickens)
    • 1/4 cup milk
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (get the best quality you can)
    • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 2.5 Tbsps lemon juice
    • 1.5 Tbsps white vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
    • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 a small head (~4 cups) cabbage, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot (~1/2 cup), shredded
  • 1/4 small onion (~1.5 Tbsps), finely minced

Directions:

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients: 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup sugar, 2.5 Tbsps lemon juice, 1.5 Tbsps white vinegar, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper.
  2. Add the dressing to the chopped cabbage, carrot, and onion and mix well. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Don’t taste it until it has marinated overnight – the cabbage will release its juices and the flavours will come together better the next day. Done!

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Asian Chicken Rice


Date Published: March 25th, 2025 | Last Updated: March 25th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: < 30 mins, Asian, easy, quick, sides
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes

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What is Chicken Rice?

If you’ve ever had Hainanese Chicken Rice, you’ll know that it’s a poached chicken dish served with a flavourful savoury chicken flavoured rice. This recipe is for that rice, which is so damn good that I decided that it needs a separate recipe post for itself and unlike the Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe, you don’t need to cook a whole chicken just to make this rice. This rice is packed with chicken flavour by using chicken fat (or schmaltz), chicken stock, and chicken stock powder.

Why is the rice yellow?

Short answer: I have no idea. Possible answer: aesthetics? In some Malaysian/Singaporean restaurants, the chicken rice is yellow in colour due to the additional of turmeric powder. Some places will even add turmeric to their chicken poaching liquid so the skin is also tinted yellow. I can’t find an exact reason for this, but my guess is due to the aesthetics of the dish 🤷🏻‍♀️. The turmeric here is purely optional and does not add any additional flavour, so feel free to leave it out if you wish!

Stove top vs Instant Pot?

In this recipe I’ve included instructions for both stove top and Instant Pot cooking methods. There’s not much difference between either – if anything, the stove top is actually a little faster, but the Instant Pot saves you the effort from having to constantly keep an eye on it so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

What is Schmaltz?

Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat that is commonly used in Jewish cooking. It typically comes in a glass jar and you should be able to find it at Whole Foods (labelled as rendered chicken fat) or jewish grocery stores. I found a large container of it at my local farmer’s market and froze them in ice cube trays for easy use. It keeps for ages.

If you can’t find rendered chicken fat, you can render it yourself. Ask your local butcher if they have any chicken fat or chicken skins and let it slowly cook down on the stove until you get a clear oil.

What is Asian Chicken Powder 雞粉?

Asian Chicken Powder 雞粉 is a flavourful chicken bouillon powder that usually has the addition of MSG. It’s a common ingredient used in many dishes to enhance the flavours in a pinch and add a boost of chicken aroma. I like the Lee Kum Kee Brand, but Knorr makes one that’s pretty good as well. If you can’t find it Chicken Powder, you can use regular chicken bouillon instead.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 4 Tbsps rendered chicken fat/schmaltz
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 cups Jasmine rice, rinsed
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (optional, for colour)
  • 4 cups chicken stock (3 cups if using Instant pot?)
  • 2.5 tsps Asian chicken stock powder 雞粉
  • 2 green onions, trimmed and sliced to 4cm pieces
  • 2 slices of ginger

Stove Top Directions:

In a medium sized pot on MED heat, melt 4 Tbsps of chicken fat/schmaltz and sauté the minced garlic in the fat for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add in the Jasmine rice and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes until the rice heats up and is covered in the fat.

Next, add in the 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (if using), 4 cups chicken stock, 2.5 tsps chicken stock powder, green onion, and ginger. Mix it all around, let the liquid come to a simmer, then turn the heat down to LOW and put a lid on. Let the rice cook until soft (~10-15 minutes), stirring occasionally and making sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Add more chicken stock if the rice is getting too dry before it finishes cooking.

When the rice is done, fluff it up with a fork. Let the rice sit for 10-15 minutes before serving for best flavour. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Directions:

In an Instant Pot, start the sauté setting on MED heat and melt 4 Tbsps of chicken fat/schmaltz. Add the minced garlic and sauté it in the fat for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add in the Jasmine rice and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes until the rice heats up and is covered in the fat.

Cancel the Instant Pot sauté setting and add in the rest of the ingredients: 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (if using), 3 cups chicken stock, 2.5 tsps chicken stock powder, green onion, and ginger. Mix well, put on the lid, and set it to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 3 minutes and a 15 minute natural release.

Once finished, carefully release the rest of the steam, then open the lid. Fluff up the rice with a fork and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving for best flavour. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Asian Chicken Rice

Date Published: March 25th, 2025 | Last Updated: March 25th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: < 30 mins, Asian, easy, quick, sides
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 Tbsps rendered chicken fat/schmaltz
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 cups Jasmine rice, rinsed
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (optional, for colour)
  • 4 cups chicken stock (3 cups if using Instant pot?)
  • 2.5 tsps Chicken stock powder – ASIAN BRAND
  • 2 green onions, trimmed and sliced to 4cm pieces
  • 2 slices of ginger

Stove Top Directions:

  1. In a medium sized pot on MED heat, melt 4 Tbsps of chicken fat/schmaltz and sauté the minced garlic in the fat for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Add in the Jasmine rice and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes until the rice heats up and is covered in the fat.
  3. Next, add in the 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (if using), 4 cups chicken stock, 2.5 tsps chicken stock powder, green onion, and ginger. Mix it all around, let the liquid come to a simmer, then turn the heat down to LOW and put a lid on. Let the rice cook until soft (~10-15 minutes), stirring occasionally and making sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Add more chicken stock if the rice is getting too dry before it finishes cooking.
  4. When the rice is done, fluff it up with a fork. Let the rice sit for 10-15 minutes before serving for best flavour. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Directions:

  1. In an Instant Pot, start the sauté setting on MED heat and melt 4 Tbsps of chicken fat/schmaltz. Add the minced garlic and sauté it in the fat for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Add in the Jasmine rice and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes until the rice heats up and is covered in the fat. Cancel the Instant Pot sauté setting and add in the rest of the ingredients: 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (if using), 3 cups chicken stock, 2.5 tsps chicken stock powder, green onion, and ginger. Mix well, put on the lid, and set it to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 3 minutes and a 15 minute natural release.
  3. Once finished, carefully release the rest of the steam, then open the lid. Fluff up the rice with a fork and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving for best flavour. Enjoy!

AbbyLeave a comment

Brown Butter Carrot Purée with Roasted Carrots


Date Published: Feb 25th, 2025 | Last Updated: Feb 25th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: sides, vegetarian, easy, <30 mins
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes

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I’m obsessed with anything brown butter. Seriously. What’s not to love? It’s nutty, umami, complex, flavourful, and is just such a unique flavour that it can’t be substituted anyway else. Any time there’s mention of brown butter on a menu, I’m all over it. This dish came to me at our friend Amy’s wedding in Melbourne a few years ago. It was a beautiful wedding in an intimate venue and although the weather could’ve been better, the heartfelt speeches and the amazing family-style food made it a wonderful evening. This roasted brown butter carrot dish was my absolute favourite of the night and I’m pretty sure I had more than my fair share 🤫. After the wedding I obsessed until I was able to recreate this dish myself. So here I am again, sharing the fruits of my labour. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!

This dish tastes luxurious and is actually so easy to make. It’s a perfect side dish to serve when you’re wanting to impress! The nutty butter carrot purée paired with the roasted carrots are the perfect combination.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 113g/1 stick unsalted butter
  • 500g Dutch carrots, leaves removed, peeled, and kept whole
  • 500g large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 1/4 cup whole milk (or more)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 190˚C/375˚F.

Prepare 2 lined baking trays. Place the whole Dutch carrots in one and the sliced carrots in the other. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to each tray and mix thoroughly. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until roasted and tender.

They’re cooked when they’re soft enough to pierce with a fork

While the carrots are baking, make the brown butter: In a saucepan on MED heat, add the butter to the pan and occasionally stir until you get browned bits on the bottom then remove from heat into a separate bowl to cool.

You can refer to this more thorough guide for browning butter here.

When the carrots have cooked, add the sliced carrots into a blender (set aside the whole Dutch carrots for later). Pour the brown butter over the sliced carrots in the blender along with 1/4 cup of milk. Blend on HIGH until you get a smooth purée. If the purée is too thick to blend, add 1 Tbsps of milk at a time until you get the desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

To plate: Spread the puréed brown butter carrots (from step 4) onto a plate, then place the cooked whole Dutch carrots over top. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Brown Butter Carrot Purée with Roasted Carrots

Date Published: Feb 25th, 2025 | Last Updated: Feb 25th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: sides, vegetarian, easy, <30 mins
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 113g/1 stick unsalted butter
  • 500g Dutch carrots, leaves removed, peeled, and kept whole
  • 500g large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 1/4 cup whole milk (or more)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 180˚C/350˚F.
  2. Prepare 2 lined baking trays. Place the whole Dutch carrots in one and the sliced carrots in the other. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to each tray and mix thoroughly. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until roasted and tender.
  3. While the carrots are baking, make the brown butter: In a saucepan on MED heat, add the butter to the pan and occasionally stir until you get browned bits on the bottom then remove from heat into a separate bowl to cool.
    • You can refer to this more thorough guide for browning butter here.
  4. When the carrots have cooked, add the sliced carrots into a blender (set aside the whole Dutch carrots for later). Pour the brown butter over the sliced carrots in the blender along with 1/4 cup of milk. Blend on HIGH until you get a smooth purée. If the purée is too thick to blend, add 1 Tbsps of milk at a time until you get the desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  5. To plate: Spread the puréed brown butter carrots (from step 4) onto a plate, then place the cooked whole Dutch carrots over top. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

AbbyLeave a comment

Taiwanese Pickled Garlic Smashed Cucumber


Date Published: April 16th, 2024 | Last Updated: April 16th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: asian, quick, easy, Taiwanese, vegetarian, sides, healthy, low cal
Serves: 1 large jar, about 6 portions as sides | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: marinate for 4 hours

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Pickled smashed cucumber is a common side dish in Taiwan that pairs well with almost anything. You can find it in pre-packed lunch boxes or in self-serve portions in small restaurants in the market. It cuts the grease and cleanses your palate. This mildly spicy and very garlicky version is super easy and you can make it in 5 minutes (after soaking the cucumbers in salt for 1 hour 🤫). You can serve it immediately, but it’s best served after marinating for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 2 large (450g/1lb) cucumbers
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • Pickling liquid:
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
    • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tsp sesame oil
    • 1/4 cup white sugar
    • 1/4 cup rice vinegar

Directions:

Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and again crosswise. Use a large knife on its flat side to smash the cucumber until cracked then slice into bite sized pieces (see photo).

Place the smashed cucumber in a strainer over a bowl and mix in 1 tsp of salt. Let the cucumber sit for 1 hour at room temperature to allow excess water to be released. After 1 hour, discard the released cucumber water and rinse the salt off the cucumber. Set aside in a colander.

In a large glass jar (with a lid), add in the pickling liquid ingredients: garlic, chilli, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and rice vinegar. Put on the lid and shake until the sugar has dissolved. Add in the smashed cucumbers (from step 1), ensuring all the cucumber is submerged in the pickling liquid. Close the lid and let it marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge or overnight. Done! Keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week, best eaten within 3 days.

Summarized Recipe:

Taiwanese Pickled Garlic Smashed Cucumber

Date Published: April 16th, 2024 | Last Updated: April 16th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: asian, quick, easy, Taiwanese, vegetarian, sides, healthy, low cal
Serves: 1 large jar, about 6 portions as sides | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: marinate for 4 hours

Ingredients:

  • 2 large (450g/1lb) cucumbers
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • Pickling liquid:
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
    • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tsp sesame oil
    • 1/4 cup white sugar
    • 1/4 cup rice vinegar

Directions:

  1. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and again crosswise. Use a large knife on its flat side to smash the cucumber until cracked then slice into bite sized pieces (see photo). Place the smashed cucumber in a strainer over a bowl and mix in 1 tsp of salt. Let the cucumber sit for 1 hour at room temperature to allow excess water to be released. After 1 hour, discard the released cucumber water and rinse the salt off the cucumber. Set aside in a colander.
  2. In a large glass jar (with a lid), add in the pickling liquid ingredients: garlic, chilli, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and rice vinegar. Put on the lid and shake until the sugar has dissolved. Add in the smashed cucumbers (from step 1), ensuring all the cucumber is submerged in the pickling liquid. Close the lid and let it marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge or overnight. Done! Keeps in the fridge for at least 2-3 days.

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Vepřo knedlo zelo (pork, dumpling, sauerkraut) – a Czech national dish


Date Published: Feb 14th, 2024 | Last Updated: Feb 14th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: czech, mains
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 3 hours (mainly to wait until the potatoes cool) | Cook time: 3 hours

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Vepřo knedlo zelo is Czech’s national dish (or at least one of them – I couldn’t find an official source to state what the official national Czech dish is, but most sources have pointed to this one (another source claims it to be svičkova)). Regardless of whether or not it’s the true national dish, it’s definitely very popular and found in most Czech restaurants.

The name of the dish directly translates to the 3 components that make up the dish: vepřo = pork, knedlo = dumpling, zelo = sauerkraut. Disclaimer: this page is not a recipe page of all 3 components, but rather a guide to making all 3 components in order with links to each of their dedicated recipes. I’ve chosen to split it up this way to make it easier for the reader to navigate rather than writing it all in one monstrously long recipe post with a million photos. Each component is also delicious on their own that you can pair it with other dishes instead of just in a vepřo knedlo zelo.

1. Vepřo = pork

The pork portion is usually a pork shoulder, which can be roasted or smoked. The first time I had this dish was at babička’s place and she served it with a smoked pork shoulder. She was cooking away with it for hours that the whole apartment smelled like smoked ham – I’m pretty sure my jacket still has a hint of it 4 weeks later 😅. When I set out to recreate this dish, we visited the lovely little Polish butcher a block away from us and found that they sell beautiful already-cooked smoked pork shoulder! We couldn’t resist and bought a few hundred grams (it was delicious). We still go back there when we’re feeling too lazy to cook and heat it up with sauerkraut and dumplings.

Instead of a smoked pork, a roast pork is the other version of this dish. When I first made it from scratch, I didn’t expect much since the steps were so simple and straightforward. I also don’t usually cook with pork much so my experience with making pork roasts is very limited, but I’ve gotta say, it came out really fucking good – even Toby approves! Although the smoked pork is good and easy, the roasted version is a lot juicier in my opinion. The recipe for the roasted pork shoulder is below.

2. Knedlo = dumpling

Knedlíky are Czech dumplings. There are a few different kinds of Czech dumplings, but in this particular dish, it’s commonly served with either the bread version (houskové knedlíky) or the potato version (bramborové knedlíky) (you can find out more about the difference here). I personally prefer it with a heavier dense potato dumpling, but it can be served with the lighter fluffier bread dumpling version too. In this guide, I will reference the potato dumpling version (which happens to be easier too!). Here are links to both types of dumplings:

3. Zelo = sauerkraut

You can serve this dish with whatever style of sauerkraut you like, but I prefer it with a sweet smokey version like this one here. Since this is my favourite sauerkraut, I will also be writing this guide in accordance to that recipe. Fun fact: I actually liked this version of sauerkraut so much that I needed to find a meat dish to go with it which is how I got onto making a vepřo knedlo zelo in the first place. I never would’ve made this dish if I hadn’t succeeded in making the sauerkraut 🙃.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the guide! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Directions:

1. Make the pork roast first. This is the most time-consuming and will take 2.5-3 hours to cook. Although lengthy, all this time is literally waiting. There’s nothing else that needs to be done with the pork once you pop it in the oven which makes it the perfect time to prepare everything else. When it’s done, measure it with a meat thermometer to ensure that it’s cooked and slice it. Easy. If you’re not ready to serve it yet while you finish the other components, leave it drenched in the drippings/oils from the pan to keep it moist and soaking up flavour.

2. While the pork is roasting in the oven, start making the potato dumplings. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to put the dough together and once the loaves are formed, it takes about half an hour to cook each batch. If you have extra stove space and extra pots, you can get two pots going at the same time so you can cook them all at once to save time rather than waiting for back to back 30 minutes. Make sure you set timers so you don’t forget about them.

3. When the dumplings are boiling, start making the sauerkraut. It takes about 30-40 minutes in total including two 15 minute braising times during the process, so while you’re waiting you can intermittently check on the dumplings.

4. Once everything is done, plate it up and serve. Enjoy!

Recipes used:

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